wssix99

iTrader: (5)

In a stock situation faster flow shouldn't cause over heating because, even though less heat is removed at the radiator, a proportionally smaller amount of heat is carried out of the engine by the faster moving coolant. It's just like taking a conveyor belt and speeding it up.

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

stopping short of getting into a geek slap fight with you on a friday afternoon...
http://www.pmmag.com/articles/85239-...fast?v=preview
http://www.hpacmag.com/features/is-t...ving-too-fast/

the same concern is often asked in heating/plumbing regarding hydronic heating and whether the water circulation is too fast thru your boiler to pick up enough heat, then too fast thru your baseboards to release it.
I agree with you that "faster flow should not cause overheating [in car engine]"
but i disagree with a "proportionally smaller amount of heat is carried away from the engine". faster flow will carry away more heat, and is described well in that linked article.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I agree, when speaking of factory intended coolant temp ranges with a stock engine. The LS1 was produced with a 187°F t-stat and fan settings that allow coolant temps to reach as high as 235°F before high speed is engaged so, from a factory perspective, any temps within that range are acceptable. And the factory cooling system is plenty adequate to maintain temps in that range under all "normal" situations, including the south and southwestern US regions. I definitely agree that true "overheating" is absolutely NOT an issue for any modern stock car operated on US roadways unless the cooling system is not working properly/damaged in some way.

But things may change for those attempting to either maintain coolant temps lower than the factory designated range under all conditions (whether or not this is a beneficial pursuit is a different conversation and also dependent on details of the setup, but in general my experience has been that LS1s produce best average performance in the ~190-210°F range....therefore I'm not a believer in 160°F t-stats and super cool fan settings for stock or moderate applications), and/or those with setups far more aggressive than stock which produce more heat....such as forced induction, etc.

Having said that, it seems that the bigger LT1 radiator is the one typically stocked and produced as a service replacement for all the 4th gen V8s, so for some this "upgrade" may simply be an unintended consequence of parts availability.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Hallelujah!!! Finally - TECH DISCUSSION!





The article starts off by affirming what I was trying to say, but goes on to say that boundary layer conditions can make heat transfer less efficient. I can agree with that in principle - I was not taking in to account such a phenomena. However; the flow inside the engine should not be anywhere as laminar as in a radiant floor or residential radiator system. So, I would expect this effect to be minimal in the engine, and only slightly impact-full in the radiator due to the decreased velocity there.

kingtal0n

iTrader: (1)

https://ls1tech.com/forums/advanced-...mperature.html

The engine cools off, does it not?
The radiator cools off, does it not?

The engine is a radiator (of temperature energy). The plumbing also acts like a radiator. In fact anything that the coolant can touch, is going to transfer some of the temperature away (if it is higher temp than the surrounding). So before the coolant even makes it to the radiator, there is some temp loss already occurring. If the engine is producing minimal temp rise, you might not even need coolant (some engine are air cooled).

The radiator is the final stand, the last place the coolant can go to lose its temp, before heading back into the engine. Its just the final frontier, the last radiator after a line of radiators. It is a safe place to store the water and let it cool while the engine is heating up some other water molecules in the mean time.

A better way to approach this problem is with a direct question: What is the desired temperature of my engine's head's cooling passages? Then you figure out how to achieve that number, by using a thermostat usually.

The water pump is just for system homogeneity. The faster the water moves, the more collisions with higher velocity, the better a temperature change at one end of the system (rad) is felt at the other end (head). Slow the water down and the differences (high on one side, to low on the other) become larger. Fastest moving water would be best, but faster moving pumps might cavitate. So they design a pump with top speeds that do not induce cavitation at operating speeds with enough movement at idle to still cool the engine sufficiently.

bigsticksupra

iTrader: (3)

LT1 radiator is not a direct swap to an LS1 car, so no, 99.9% of the LS cars going to a shop for a radiator replacement is going to get an LS radiator.

With that said, for road racing, do i want a 160 or 180 thermostat and with what fan settings?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I think we've gotten off the original topic and said what needs to be said here, so we'll lock this thread up.

Please start a new thread with your road racing focused question and folks can hop in there.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

It actually is a direct swap in terms of fitment, but in terms of hose/connection ports you are correct. There is an unused hose port and, in regards to the later cars, an unused port for the low coolant sensor. These have to be blocked off when used on a later model. I haven't needed to buy an LS1 radiator lately but, from what several members have reported in recent years, some of the chain auto parts stores only sell the LT1-style radiator even if you try to order one for a later model.

I have not tried to order one from GM directly, perhaps they still offer the original version.